Which of these amps for Plexi-ish crunch to sustaining leads

[wyldesigns]

Top Hat Emplexador
SLO 100
Badcat Hot Cat

 

[JimmyR]

Of the three the only one I haven't heard/played is the TopHat. But it is probably the one I would suggest. I have a Bad Cat Hotcat and love it to death. But it isn't so plexi. Absolutely killer amp though.

Also check out Metroamp.

 

[wyldesigns]

Of the three the only one I haven't heard/played is the TopHat. But it is probably the one I would suggest. I have a Bad Cat Hotcat and love it to death. But it isn't so plexi. Absolutely killer amp though.

Also check out Metroamp.

So you've played he SLO and Badcat, what would you say is the main differences between the two??

 

[soldano16]

I used a Soldano HotRod 50+ for many years and then a Soldano Atomic 16 for many years. Now I play vintage JMP Marshalls.

Totally different sound between Soldanos and JMP/plexi Marshalls.

 

[ecbluesman54]

I have owned the Bad Cat, and still have the SLO, and a friend of mine just got an Emplexador. The SLO can do great crunch, and is known for its lead channel, but I wouldn't say it is plexi like. I had a hard time getting comfortable with the Bad Cat, not the amp for me. The emplexador is a great amp, can do crunch, cleans up well, and work the volume knob on your guitar and you can get many different tones. Depending on your budget I would go for the SLO or Top Hat.

 

[carbz]

Look into the new Badcat Bc50 amp. My buddy just lent me his to mess around with. It has serious balls to it. Its a non-master volume amp but has more gain then you'd think. Its sounds real close with my Aiken Intruder but has a little more volume and wallop. Its a no frills amp, built like a tank and at $1600 new its a hell of deal. He had an SLO and and Emplexador as well. Both fine sounding amps. Those of course have master volumes which gives you the ability to get higher gain at lower volumes. Tone for Tone the Badcat will hang with the best plexi circuits around. At the end of the day they all kinda start sounding almost the same.

 

[JimmyR]

I haven't spent quality time with a SLO, but my impressions were that the Bad Cat Hotcat is kinda grittier and nastier - does crunch really well and sounds less sort of "refined" than the SLO. The SLO is a bit too smooth and "nice" for me - a great sound but I like a few rough edges.

The Bad Cat isn't necessarily the easiest amp to get along with but I love it. The "clean" channel is simply the best I have heard from any amp and at 12.00 (LOUD!) it's like a cross between a Marshall and an AC30. However it's too loud for me to gig with used like that and it's also so nice when used cleaner. The dirt channel is almost TOO dirty for me so I have modded mine (!) to be more like the first channel in a DC30 or Wildcat.

I have built quite a few plexi style amps and have tried a lot of the same sort of ideas as the Emplexador in my own amps, and that's why I suspect an Emplexador would be a great amp to try. The Marshall sound is kinda more midrange focussed than the Bad Cat sound. Very difficult to explain but the Bad Cat has a ton of low-end but isn't quite as tight in that thumpy Marshall way. It's just different. I like both!

 

[natemeanie]

Splawn Quick Rod..... It's not on your list but it does exactly what you're looking for.

 

[crazyForce]

Yeah, I agree, the SLO sounds excellent in it's own right, but it is surprisingly smooth-which is very different from a Plexi sound. On the other hand, I think the Hot Cat is too grainy and biting (used it with humbuckers), and I would even say it's kinda' dry compared to any Plexi's I've tried. Never tried an Emplexador but have heard great things about them and was always curious for myself.

 

[aroman]

From your list The Emplexador.
If you are able to play Loud Marshall Vintage Modern.

 

[crazyForce]

I don't want to be misunderstood, so I feel like I better clarify my stated opinion of the Hot Cat. First I refer JUST to the Hot Cat-never tried any other Bad Cats. Second, it really is a rhetorical statement, but thousands of people get killer sounds out of the Hot Cat. And their popularity and acclaim are testament to that. I just didn't/couldn't get the sounds I like out of it. For the record, I am a recent convert to the JTM45 circuit. I am selling my Vox AC30CC2, Tiny Terror and maybe my Harmony-I just feel like I don't use or need them anymore. I think this might be the first time I am not looking back after getting a new amp. As a gear slut, amps have been my real vice, so this is an astonishing personal revelation!

 

[ROKY]

:RoCkInTopHat Emplexador :RoCkIn

Haven't tried the others .. but the Tophat does it !

 

[Timster]

hotcat doesn't sound like a plexi, neither does the slo...I would go with the tophat

 

[Roe]

a tophat or a metro

 

[stratton]

hotcat doesn't sound like a plexi, neither does the slo...I would go with the tophat

I loved my HotCat 30, and almost regret selling it but I love my Emplexador too. They're very different, but equally loveable.

If Marshall crunch and liquid leads are your thing, probably the Emplexador would be the better choice. At least that's exactly the reason i went with it. Many flavors of Marshall there.